Considering the amount of time they spend outdoors in some of the roughest weather the world has to offer, penguins usually manage to remain remarkably dapper.

However, this one decided to throw decorum aside in a dash for the sea, swimming across a lake of mud in its path and cloaking its usually impeccable black and white plumage in brown slime.

In fact, the bird was so thoroughly covered that it could have been trying to pass itself off as a chocolate penguin.

Mucky: When this group of plucky penguins decided to take a shortcut to the sea, they ended up looking a touch foolishA huge colony of the flightless birds were gathered on a place called Salisbury Plain in remote South Georgia when a huge mud lake poured across the ice and separated them from the water.

Thousands of the cute creatures decided to be sensible and take the longer route around the muck so they could reach the ocean.

But a plucky handful decided they were not going to let a bit of mud get in their way.

Instead, they jumped in and made a swim for it. However, they no doubt quickly regretted it.

Trapped: A huge colony of the flightless birds were gathered on a place called Salisbury Plain in remote South Georgia when a huge mud lake poured across the ice and separated them from the water

Mess: Thousands of the cute creatures decided to be sensible and take the longer route around the muck so they could reach the ocean. But a handful decided to make a swim for it

Within seconds the King Penguins - Aptenodytes Patagonicus in Latin - were covered from beak to webbed feet in oozing slime.

When they emerged from the pool they looked like they had been dipped in chocolate as they were completely covered in the mud.

Eventually they finally reached the sea and the embarrassed penguins threw themselves into the ice-cold ocean for a much-needed wash.

The King Penguin is the second largest species of penguin - only the Emperor Penguin is bigger.

Embarrassing: When they emerged from the mud pool they looked like they had been dipped in chocolate as they were completely covered in the mud

Slimy: This King Penguin looked very sheepish after he emerged from the mud

They eat just small fish and can often repeatedly dive to more than 100 metres when foraging for food.

Some have even been recorded diving at depths greater than 300 metres.

There are estimated to be about 2.23 million breeding pairs in the world.

Clean: When they finally reached the sea, the embarrassed penguins threw themselves into the ice-cold ocean for a much-needed wash